My journey into counselling didn’t begin in a classroom or with a career plan. It began in some of the darkest moments of my life, when I was the person desperately needing someone to listen, understand and help me find a reason to keep going.
I proudly served in the Royal Australian Navy for 20 years, including operational service in the Middle East and border protection operations. Throughout my military career, I experienced significant trauma, both professionally and personally. Combined with childhood trauma, these experiences eventually took an enormous toll on my mental health.
Nathan in his Royal Australian Navy uniform
Following my medical discharge, I struggled with my identity, purpose and mental health. There were periods of addiction, despair and suicide attempts. At times, I genuinely didn’t believe I had a future.
But counselling helped change that.
Having someone listen without judgement, see beyond my circumstances and believe recovery was possible helped me begin rebuilding my life. Counselling didn’t erase my past, but it helped me understand that my past didn’t have to define my future.
That experience planted a seed. I wanted to offer others the same hope that had been offered to me.
I completed my Bachelor of Counselling through the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors and became an ACA Level 2 Registered Counsellor. This achievement represented far more than an academic qualification. It symbolised resilience, recovery and renewed purpose.
My educational journey continues. I am incredibly proud to have been accepted into a Master of Rehabilitation Counselling, commencing in 2027. For me, education isn’t about collecting qualifications or adding letters after my name. It’s about continually expanding my knowledge, challenging myself and developing the skills to better support others. Life is a continuous journey of learning, and I firmly believe that to help others grow, we must remain committed to growing ourselves.
In February 2024, my wife Kellie and I established Expressive Mind Therapy, an allied health practice based in Ulladulla, NSW. What began as a vision to provide compassionate, accessible and person-centred care has grown into a multidisciplinary organisation supporting individuals, families and communities across Australia.
Today, alongside counselling, I deliver mental health education, suicide prevention initiatives, workplace wellbeing programs and neurodiversity training. I am also a registered NDIS Behaviour Support Practitioner and serve on Suicide Prevention Australia’s Lived Experience Board.
Being named a 2026 Australian Allied Health Awards National Finalist for Counsellor of the Year was an incredibly humbling milestone. Our organisation has also received multiple state and national business award nominations.
But awards aren’t why I do this work.
The greatest recognition comes when someone who once felt hopeless begins believing in themselves again. When a person finds their voice, a family reconnects, or someone decides tomorrow is worth living for.
I remain passionate about strengthening the counselling profession in Australia. I believe counsellors deserve greater recognition, stronger educational standards and appropriate professional regulation that reflects the complexity, responsibility and life-changing impact of our work.
My message to fellow counsellors this National Counsellors Day is simple:
Never underestimate the difference you make.
You may never know that a conversation, a moment of compassion or your willingness to sit beside someone in their darkest hour became the turning point in their life.
I know, because I was once that person.
Today, I am privileged to be a husband, father, veteran, counsellor, advocate and business owner. My journey hasn’t been easy, but it has given me something incredibly valuable: purpose.
Counselling helped save my life. Now I have the privilege of helping others rebuild theirs.
To every counsellor across Australia, thank you for the work you do, the lives you touch and the hope you provide.
Our profession matters. Our voices matter. And the work we do changes lives.